


glasses stay on

by hausofval



Series: in my eyes (i see no one else but you) [1]
Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, SLOW BURN but in a one-shot, but first its hate, childfic, hate to love to mothers, hear me out again again: this fluff is all we need, hear me out again: glasses STAY on but not in a sexual way, hear me out: glasses, leticia brings them together in the cutest way EVER, librarian gfs, lilith is mary's twin cuz why not?, superfluff Spellwell - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hausofval/pseuds/hausofval
Summary: The Municipal Library of the Saint Angela Orphanage is separated by two aisles: one with educational books - a responsibility of the kind Ms. Mary Wardwell - and literary books - total liability of the strict Ms. Zelda Spellman. Although both of them work together for more than 10 years, their relationship was always doused in disdain and indifference until a girl with brown eyes, glasses transitioning gradually between shades of pink and a contagious smile was rejected and transferred from Saint Augusta Orphanage.Is it possible that a friendless child can bring those women together?The only thing that stays without question is the fact that, reading or not, their glasses stay on.
Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Original Mary Wardwell
Series: in my eyes (i see no one else but you) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725712
Comments: 18
Kudos: 57





	glasses stay on

Bad days are normal on everyone’s routine, however, that doesn’t make us more prepared to live them. In the bad day in question, Zelda Spellman was running through the stairs and cursing herself for failing to read the weather report the day before, concentrating only on the recent news of the town, and therefore getting stuck for forty and five minutes in a storm. 

In the minute she arrived on the floor of the office she shared with Ms. Wardwell, she noticed that the day was not bad for her only. 

“Auntie Mary, where’s Auntie Z? I’m trying to find the sequel of this book, but it’s so hard. I need your help!” A boyish voice was heard. 

“I will help you in a few minutes, Matthew, first I need to—”

Before she could hear more, the redhead invaded the room and found Mary inclined in her desk, with Zelda’s notebook in her hand while she finished the loan of a poetry book to twins. When Mary’s gaze found Zelda’s, she understood that it was best to stay quiet. 

Passing through the dark-haired woman’s abandoned desk, she noticed the owner of the boyish voice she heard in the corridor leaned against the wood with his arms crossed. 

“I gave you two weeks, do you hear, girls?” 

Both girls nodded in affirmative and ran out of the library. 

“Don’t run!” Zelda’s voice came out more serious than she intended while she dropped her purse by the side where Mary’s back was leaned on. 

“You’re welcome!” was the whisper the dark-haired woman gave her before she followed the neglected boy towards the Physical Geography bookshelves. 

As the morning passed by, Zelda’s frustration for being late and, mainly for getting help from the dark-haired woman in front of her, ended up making Mary’s day awful too. 

The only thing the dark-haired woman needed was full silence to finish the romance she was reading, something that she would have done if Zelda Spellman wasn’t late for her job. 

It was only two dozens of pages and everything would be finished, but of course, the red-haired woman needed to also ruin that for her. 

Another thing about bad days is that they incite bad behaviors. Maybe with any other person, the short and sweet answers of the oldest Spellman would be considered a troublesome behavior, but the dark-haired with blue eyes, after almost ten years working with Zelda, was more than used to it. She could even define herself grateful for not having to exchange more than five full daily sentences with the red-haired woman. 

But the bad behavior was, without a doubt, what most cracked Mary’s patience. If she was visited by a genie that said to her that she had the right for an only wish, the blue pen beating rhythmically against the wood from Zelda Spellman’s desk while Mary was trying to focus on her reading would be set on fire still on the redhead’s hand. 

Mary already knew that this was a habit, that’s why she always tried not to step in, but on that day she needed the silence. 

“Can you stop?” 

“What?” Zelda’s inexpressive face stiffened because of the frown on her face. 

“The pen!” still believing that she would go back to her pacific reading, the dark-haired woman just saved the page she stopped with her ring finger while she stared at the woman in front of her. 

“Oh.” and the pen was dropped in the desk with a deaf blow. 

The book was opened again, but before Mary’s eyes could reach the paragraph she had stopped reading, Zelda’s voice was heard... again. 

“For a person that is always so unspeakably polite and kind, you’re not doing your work quite so well, are you?” when the dark-haired woman’s mouth opened to respond, Zelda interrupted her, “But do not worry about it! You’re welcome!” 

As the afternoon passed by, the library’s atmosphere wasn’t getting any more pleasant; quite the contrary, the most despairing moment was about to happen. 

Zelda stood up first to go to lunch and Mary followed her. As usual, they seated far away from each other, and in less than an hour, they came back to her positions. 

However, just after they opened the library and even before they could seat on their seats, a little black girl passed by both of them running and going to the end of the bookshelves, seated on the floor, removed her glasses that were a mixture of pink and transparent and failed to try to contain her tears. 

Children crying quietly in a library is probably the only thing that instigates the empathy of every person. Including both puzzled women that were watching the scene. 

“Do you know her?” The redhead’s whisper came out as low as possible, and she received as an answer a negative shook of Mary’s head. 

With calm, Mary went to meet the child, leaving her curious office’s colleague behind. Reaching where the girl was, the woman with blue and expressive eyes hold her pencil skirt close to her knees while she seated on the floor, just in front of the kid that now cried with her head buried on her knees. 

“Hey,” the dark-haired woman initiated contact, ready to wait as long as was needed for an answer. 

“Hi.” 

“My name is Mary Wardwell, but you can call me Auntie Mary, like the other children here.” 

“I’m... I’m Leticia. I’m sorry, I don’t have ‘another name’… I was a Blackwood, but I’m not anymore…” And just like that, she starts crying again. 

A rejected child was one of the things that most broke Mary’s heart. Already feeling her eyes filling with tears, she directed them to a pink book in the bookshelves by her side. Taking it out of the shelf, she noticed what it was about and had an idea. 

“You know, princess Cinderella doesn’t have ‘another name’ either.” 

“She doesn’t?” and for the first time, the girl raised her head and exposed her big caramel eyes, red from the crying but filled with curiosity. 

“She doesn’t,” Mary answered while giving the book to her. 

“Oh.”

Now the girl was very concerned about analyzing the contents of the book, flipping through the pages quickly, searching the figures. As soon as she found the first one, she took the glasses that were on the floor beside her, but instead of putting it on her face, she hesitated. 

"Are these beautiful glasses yours?" 

"Yes, they are, Aunt Mary," the uncertainty in her voice was clear, because of the strange way she called the dark-haired woman and because they were talking about the object beside her, but her brown eyes remained focused on the blue ones. "It's just that... Gabriel said that... that girls don't look pretty with glasses and that's why I was returned." 

Before Mary had time to formulate an answer, the little girl had her eyes blurred with new tears. She was speechless, until the sound of objects hitting and known leaps, in a rhythmic and frantic symphony, approached her. 

Looking up, the youngest of the Wardwell sisters found Zelda with reading glasses on her face and holding Mary's glasses out to her. The redhead's glasses were almost completely engraved with a leopard print. Very different from the dark-haired woman's glasses, just black and straight. 

Without questions, the woman took them, put them on her face, and crawled to the side, offering space if the redhead wanted to sit too. Unlike the same, Zelda crouched on the floor, worried about any stain on her light blue skirt. 

"I don't believe that," was what Zelda replied, attracting Leticia's attention, who shared attention between the two women. "I'm Zelda Spellman, but you can also call me Aunt Z, like the other kids." 

"You also wear glasses! You both!" A legitimate smile appeared on her lips until she focused her eyes again on the figures in the book. "But princess don't wear glasses..." 

"Well..." Mary's voice was heard, monopolizing their attention. “Princesses are always different from each other. Do you know anyone who wears crystal heels?” 

Looking at the picture in the book, her own feet, and then at the women's feet in front of her, she shook her head negatively. 

"You wear black heels ... And Aunt Z wears blue heels ..." 

"You are right! How old are you Leticia?” Focusing on the green eyes, the little girl raised her little fingers showing Zelda the number four. "This is really nice! Four years is the age that princesses discover themselves princesses!” 

"Really?" 

"Yes, dear!" 

"But ... I don't know much about princesses. How will I find out if I'm one?" 

"So let's do like this, whenever you want to learn about princesses, you can come over here and Zelda and I can read about them to you, okay?" 

The girl now rubbed her face, wiping away her tears, while was nodding a “yes” to Mary. 

"But on one condition..." Not focusing on the horror on Leticia's face, Zelda picked up her glasses from the floor and continued. "Your glasses need to stay on your face!" 

The girl was silent for a while as if was studying the possibilities. Concluding that the condition was fair, she let the redhead put the glasses on her face and, in an unexpected gesture, pulled the two women in front of her for a hug. 

Mary Wardwell has been wearing eyeglasses since her childhood and at that time she created the strange habit scrunching up her nose to get them back in place when they start to slide down. Zelda noticed this less than two months after starting to work with the blue-eyed woman, but even after ten years the redhead still hadn't figured out why she always stopped and removed her glasses when she noticed the automatic action. However, since Leticia started going to the library, the glasses were no longer removed. 

A part of Zelda, who was always ignored by her, was happy with that because she always saw some kind of comfort in looking at the dark-haired woman and finding her with her nose scrunched and the little girl in her lap. 

For the first two months, both women simply cut half of their lunch break to read stories to Leticia, hoping that, like any other child, she would bond with her new classmates and eventually stop visiting the library daily. They both were wrong. Even with friends and classes, the girl appeared every day jumping and excited to hear the stories that one of the two would tell her. 

After four months, the two had recorded their respective days in advance to tell stories to Leticia and making lists of books to be read. It was only twenty minutes, however, everything was millimetrically recorded in Zelda's notebook and Mary's calendar, after all, they covered each other work while this has happened. 

After six months, Mary sat at the same table as Zelda for lunch. Not that they wanted or enjoyed even more times together, quite the contrary. The reason for the sudden change in routine was Leticia's crying crisis when she found Zelda smoking alone. The girl's words were so lost in sobs that the redhead barely understood why she was crying. 

“Aren't you Aunt Mary's friend anymore? Is that why you are alone? ” 

"Oh dear, of course we are still friends," a part of Zelda would like to laugh at herself with probably the biggest lie she has ever told anyone. 

"It's just that I saw you guys today at lunch so far apart... And... And now you're alone... And..." 

"Leticia, listen to Aunt Z," so, when the words stopped jumping from the child's mouth, Zelda crouched on the floor, just like the first time and continued, "she just isn't here because she doesn't smoke." 

"Oh..." Her eyes were on Zelda's face, but they were lost when the girl lowered her head. 

"Leticia, say what's on your mind." 

“Why… don't you stop smoking and stay with her, Aunt Z? So that she won't be alone anymore?” 

"What do you mean?" 

“She told me that she lived with her sister, but that she moved when she fell in love... And now she is alone... She said she is not sad because her sister is happy, but... I am sad when I am alone." 

Absorbing more information about Mary than she has received in years, Zelda breathed and started to speak. 

"Do you want to know a secret?" Before nodding, the kid looked both ways and approached the redhead, as if she were making sure they were really no one around them to share secrets with Zelda. "I also lived with my sister and brother, and they also fell in love, and went to live elsewhere." 

"But aren't you sad?" 

"No, of course not! And you want to know why?”

“Yes Aunt Z...” 

“Because I love working here." 

"And because you have Aunt Mary... And Aunt Mary has you." 

Zelda wanted to correct it. Simply saying it wasn't quite like that, but the brown eyes that were once desperate were full of calm and happiness. Zelda wouldn't take that away from her. 

When the Spellman asked Mary to start having lunch with her every day of the week, the dark-haired woman laughed so hard that tears was formed around her eyes. However, in the moment that she heard what happened, Mary was extremely happy to share one more hour a day with Zelda. 

Just as there are bad days, there are also good days. And this, for a change, was a good day. Zelda was the first to arrive at the library and took advantage of the blue clear sky to open the windows and curtains on both sides of the room. Before she finished securing the fabrics, so that the wind wouldn't take them out of place, rhythmic jumps sounded in the hall. 

"Good morning, Zelda Spellman!" 

Surprised, the redhead turned her heels near the door, finding an incredibly happy dark-haired woman, already wearing her glasses, while chewing on something. 

“Good morning, Mary Wardwell! I'm glad you're so... happy! ” 

The dark-haired woman finished chewing and swallowed, using this time to look out for irony in the redhead's face. Surprisingly, she only found a gentle smile. 

Getting lost in the view, Mary tried to remember the last time she saw Zelda smilingly like that without a reason, with nothing to stimulate her.

She was smiling when Hilda came to visit her at the library. She smiled when Leticia said something smart or unexpected. She was smiling when she heard a joke. But she never saw Zelda smiling just for... smiling. 

"Thanks!" The dark-haired woman replied, noting that she was maybe thinking too much, and before throwing the thought away, her cheeks warm up. 

Dropping her brown purse on her table, Mary took the jar of cookies she had baked yesterday and held it out to the redhead. 

"Do you want one?" 

"Is it poisoned?" Zelda's smile did not leave her face as she approached Mary. 

"I'm not answering you," the blue eyes rolled, but her smile also persisted as the pot waved in her hand. 

The redhead just took the cookie and brought it to her lips. A thousand and one kinds of wicked or ironic comments crossed her mind, but when the taste of honey and powdered sugar touched the Spellman's tongue, everything dissipated. 

"This is really good!" Even before policing herself, Zelda was already, with her hand over her full mouth, praising. 

With that, two new traditions in room 2456 of the Orphanage of Santa Angela were started. The first was subtle, just a sutle "good morning", which is always said by those who arrive last. The second was that whenever Mary Wardwell baked something sweet, she would bring some for Zelda. Sometimes she knew that the redhead was in a bad mood, so she just put the pot next to Zelda's purse while she stopped work to smoke. 

These gestures made their work more enjoyable. “Friend” was not the word they would use to describe each other, but, in some way, the contempt and indifference that previously existed in that library were no longer a constant. 

That afternoon, Leticia arrived almost ten minutes late at the library. 

"Hello dear, are you okay?" Zelda asked, wondering why the girl was late. 

"It's just that... I just..." 

"You just...?" It was Mary's turn to encourage the girl. 

"I wanted to tap dance, I saw Professor Lisa doing it and I found it so beautiful." 

“Leticia, would you like to learn? I believe that Lisa wouldn't mind if she had a new student. ” Zelda's voice was present as she got up from the chair behind her desk and followed the girl. 

"But ... I would have to perform..." 

Saint Angela's Orphanage was the only one in operation around Greendale. Each year it became more difficult to keep the doors open, so just five years ago those who wore responsible for keeping the building's economies functional had an idea. 

Every year there would be three talent shows in this orphanage, which would be open to the community, their benefit would simply be to raise funds for the orphanage or even instigate society's interest in adoption. Some children simply saw this as an opportunity to show themselves, while others were afraid of an eventual failure in front of a crowd. At that moment, Mary feared that Leticia was one of those children. 

"Don't you want to perform?" 

As if the little girl was making a mental worksheet comparing the pros and cons, Leticia put a hand on her chin and looked at the floor, removing a smile from both women. 

"If I perform... will you both be there?" 

It was certainly not what the women expected to hear, but as soon as they understood what it meant, Zelda and Mary put smiles on their faces and nodded positively. 

"Do you promise?" 

"Yes, dear, of course we were going to be there, darling." Mary's voice was calm and Zelda accompanied her with a gentle smile. 

"So I will, and I will dance as beautiful as Professor Lisa." Before getting an answer, the little girl was already running towards the door, however, as if remembering something, she stopped and started talking to the two women again. "When I am not performing, will you keep reading to me?" 

"Of course, dear, whenever you want, we will be here." 

So Leticia, who would leave without saying goodbye, came back and hugged the two women, first Zelda, since she was already standing, and then Mary, before running towards the Dance Room.

Months went by and what happened every day became an almost weekly event. Only on Tuesday and Thursday Leticia could go to the library because the rest of her days were divided between tap and posture classes. But their glasses remained on their faces all day. Zelda's glasses were raised above her forehead only when she could not control her urge to smoke, a moment that retained a significant part of his time before, but which has now been reduced from a daily pack to three or four isolated cigarettes. 

Whenever she was asked, the redhead would disconcert and say that it was time to decrease, but something in her mind always led her to the question that Leticia had asked her months ago and that she had left unanswered. 

_“Why… don't you stop smoking and stay with her, Aunt Z? So that she won't be alone?”_

When the first talent show arrived, Mary and Zelda were sitting side by side, silly smiling for Leticia's performance. It was a calm song, just a few more drastic piano chords to draw and instigate the frantic touch of the feet. Leticia did everything beautifully, surprising Lisa, but not any of the librarians. 

Four months later, when the second talent show arrived, Zelda bought a pizza for her and Mary's dinner, since the dark-haired woman surprisingly not had lunch, an act that worried the redhead. The music this time was more fun, being justified by Leticia having more rehearsal time, but which she did as beautifully as the first one. 

On the way out, the Spellman and the Wardwell went home in the dark-haired woman's car. Zelda's car was causing discomfort with noises on the road and a wave of concern washed over Mary. 

“What if your car stops in the middle of the road? What will you do?" 

"My car won't stop in the middle of the road," and while a smile played on the redhead's lips, Mary grabbed Zelda's earthy purse and headed for her own car. "Mary, what are you doing?" 

"Taking you home!" 

And without arguing, Zelda followed the dark-haired woman with her arms extended dramatically while smiling. 

This was something that Mary had already gotten used to. Years ago she noticed how dramatic her movements and lines were. 

Pointing objects to prove her point. The waves of red hair always contained as if coming out of a melodramatic opera, even with their head movements in the middle of an argument. And finally, the vintage cigarette holder in golden color, what Mary believed that it had been purposely chosen in the same shade as her glasses. 

Years ago, these characteristics instigated an ironic smile from Mary, but today she looked at the woman beside her, imagining what she was like in her teenage years and smiling genuinely just with the thought. 

Three months later, at the third talent show, Zelda also called Hilda, Cerberus, Ambrose, Edward, Diana and Sabrina to watch Leticia's performace. And just like Mary and Zelda, all of the Spellman's family fall in love with the little girl. Hilda and Mary never exchanged more than a few cordial phrases when Zelda's younger sister visited her, but today they talked a lot with Edward and Diana's teenage daughter. 

"So... This is Mary..." Zelda's brother pulled his sister away, starting the conversation with an abused smile after Leticia's performance was finished. 

"Yes, Edward, this is Mary." The redhead replied, not understanding where her brother was going with his soft weird voice. 

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" 

And, for the first time, Zelda really paid attention to the woman. Hair stuck in a ponytail, as usual, a flowery dress in shades of blue, black and green, heels and black socks, in addition to, of course, her glasses. As if she knew she was being watched, she turned towards Zelda and smiled. In response to that Zelda smiled again, cheeks turning red, turning towards her brother and sister-in-law. 

"Yes, Edward, but what..." 

"And you like her!" Diana said, drawing a shocked sigh from Zelda before continuing. “It's okay, take your time! But you like her... you just... do!” 

"I will not be answering your insane hypotheses... Please, stop being pathetic, you both!" And, Zelda left Diana and Edward behind, wanting to spend more time with the rest of her family and her... friend from work. 

Sometimes days are confusing, in one moment you are happy, in the other you sad and then happy again. The confusing day in question was rainy, and Zelda, who, for a change, had read about it in the previous newspaper, arrived early at the orphanage. Fifteen minutes after work started, the redhead was concerned about Mary Wardwell's sudden disappearance. 

As if she was listening to Zelda's thoughts, the dark-haired woman entered the door. The leather pants could have caught Zelda's attention. The red leather jacket could have caught Zelda's eye. But what really stood out was the hair, probably for the first time in ten years, straight. 

Dense curls did not run down her back and moved as she walked. Her hairs were smooth and motionless. Arriving at her desk, the dark-haired woman simply pinned the hair in a bun with one of the available pens from the table and smiled to herself as she sat on the chair. Maybe the orange neon purse should have alerted Zelda, but it didn't even pay attention to it because one day it had started neutral and became extremely unsatisfactory. 

The reason was simple, Mary Wardwell had not said “ _good morning_ ” to her. 

It looked childish and maybe it was, however, the loss of the simple phrase had left a bitter taste in her mouth. But everything bad could get worse and it happened at the moment that a middle-aged caucasian man entered there. 

He walked smiling until focused his eyes on Mary and addressed her: 

"Hello, gorgeous!" 

"Hello, handsome!" And against all possible events, they leaned towards the wooden table and she kissed her. 

Zelda's head looked like it weighed twice as much, her throat tasted more bitter than pure nicotine, her stomach turned, but she never looked away from them. 

_Who was this man to kiss Mary? He never visited her here, never accompanied her anywhere, not even one talent show..._

She continued to stare concentrated to prove herself that this was happening until her eyes met that blues of the dark-haired woman in front of her. If Zelda was less irritated, maybe she was more attentive to the smile that the dark-haired woman in front of her gave her. 

Unfortunately, Zelda was too busy having repetitive thoughts about who this man was to arrive and just kiss Mary. A forgotten part of her mind wondered if it was that easy to just climb on the wooden table in front of her and find Mary’s lips... 

But an action was present that changed everything. As soon as the kiss ended, the woman with blue eyes in front of her, who had her glasses sliding down her nose, lifted them with her little finger. 

_Something is wrong._

While trying to swallow this information, at least unusual, sounds of frantic octaves were present. 

"Good morning, Zelda, I'm sorry... I was taking care of the garden at night and ended up sleeping too much today..." 

Focusing on the front door, she saw another Mary Wardwell, with her hair already tied up and her dense curls dancing on the back of a flowered dress in pastel colors. This was her Mary Wardwell. 

As if to prove that it was not a hallucination of the redhead's mind, the newcomer dropped her purse on the floor and threw herself into an embrace with the one who sat in her place. 

"LILITH! I missed you so much!" 

"I missed you too, Mary! How are you? Wait, don't answer. I want to introduce you to Adam Masters, my fiance!" And with a smile, the youngest of the Wardwell twins released her sister and shook the man's hand. 

But Zelda had seen more than enough. Still, with a sore stomach, she got up and headed for the door. 

"Zelda are you okay?" The sweet, concerned voice turned against her as it moved toward her. "Honey, are you crying?" 

Just like that, the redhead noticed the dense tears running down her face. Hearing the way the dark-haired woman called her, she felt her heart skip a beat. 

_Honey._

“It's okay, Mary... I just really need to go to the bathroom right now. And it's lovely to finally meet you, Lilith Wardwell.” And with a nod, giving no time for any response, Zelda Spellman ran out of the library. 

The building was dense. Her stomach was hurting. It sounded like the world's oxygen was just not enough. 

"We set the wedding's date and I needed you to be the first to know, so we drive here during the night!" Lilith's voice was heard by Zelda, excited but distant. 

Accessing the teachers' bathroom, the redhead thanked internally for finding the same void. Looking at the mirror, Zelda started to process the information that had been dropped on her. 

_Lilith, Mary's sister, was her twin. And their features were not only similar, but they were also identical in all physical aspects._

Picking up some paper towels to wipe her cheeks, she moved on to, which was for her, the most important part. 

_Mary hadn't kissed that man... Adam._

When the simple realization crossed her mind, a sigh of relief passed over his lips. Realizing her own reaction, a sigh, now shaking, escaped. 

She was _in love_ with Mary Wardwell. 

A little more than twenty minutes later, Zelda returned to her post, however, in the moment that she stepped into the library, she found it almost empty, with only Mary leaning against the redhead's wooden table. 

Realizing that she was being watched, the dark-haired woman pulled away and in a worried voice, asked: 

"What did Lilith do?" 

"I beg your pardon?" The redhead's eyebrows came together, too confused to come up with a more substantial sentence. 

“Ugh... When we were kids, we switched rooms when we were bored, or scared, or both. I probably did three-quarters of her job interviews and she lived half of my romantic dates...” a nostalgic look crossed her face and then, feeling her glasses slide, she scrunched up her nose to put them in place, before continuing. “Anyway... a few decades ago we stopped talking to the people around us while pretending to be each other, it was a way of not losing our job, or our dates, or whatever, just because still fun... But you were nervous when I arrived and... I swear I didn't even know that she was here, so just tell me what she... " 

In an unexpected gesture, Zelda took two long steps and took the dark-haired woman in her arms. It was a strange hug, perhaps because she was the first among them, or perhaps because the redhead held Mary so tight. 

The dark-haired woman was tense, but feeling Zelda's soft breath on her shoulder she relaxed and hugged her back. 

"I'm sorry, Zelda, I'm sorry." Even though she didn't know what was going on, she felt an obligation to apologize. 

Zelda looked broken and confused, a combination that shouldn't be part of her, so Mary would do whatever she could to get it out of her chest. 

Still hugging the black-haired woman, Zelda started an explanation: 

"She didn't do anything... I just... _found out that I'm in love with you_." The last words almost escaped his lips. 

"You just...?" 

"I miss Hilda..." She would laugh at her pathetic self, but it all faded when Mary Wardwell's arms tightened around her waist. 

"Oh, it's okay, Zelda, it's okay..." 

But it was not. It was not because it was a lie. It was not because she was confused. But at the same time, it was. It was because Mary held her tight. It was because the dark-haired woman's right hand caressed her hair with affection. 

And in her arms, everything was really okay. 

"Excuse me, I would like to... return a book." 

Dispersed by the voice of the teenager, the two separated and went back to their work. 

Weeks passed and that day's event was not remembered. But a new tradition was created. Once a day, preferably at the beginning or at the end, they hugged each other. At first, it sounded only courteous, but over time it became the best part of Mary's day. 

She didn't know why, but when Leticia started reading by herself and asked her something, she ended up finding out the answer. 

"Aunt Mary," the kid's voice sounded curious as she closed the book they had just finished, "do you know what love is?" 

Holding the child firmly in her lap, the blue-eyed dark-haired woman thought for a while and finally answered. 

“Love is nice and confusing. It feels like you are flying and falling at the same time. It is joy and fear at the same time. But it is also missing. It's worrying. It is to forgive them faults, or mistakes, or omissions and see the beauty, the grace and the affection because these are greater and meaningful than the first ones.” 

“Like when Aunt Z says mean things to you and you don't argue? Or when she taps the pen on the table and you don't complain? ” 

At that moment, the blue eyes lost focus. She continued, silently, caressing the little girl's arm with her fingers, which in turn swung her legs carefree. 

But her mind followed another path, which had red hair and green eyes. Her breathing was heavier and unconsciously she looked at Zelda. The sight of the redhead with the glasses slipping on her nose and writing something in her notebook made Mary's stomach turn and, realizing something that now sounded like the greatest truth she ever thought, she answered Leticia with a simple sentence. 

"Yeah, I believe that love is like this." 

Arriving home that night, Mary Wardwell drank half a bottle of red wine. Her chest ached and her mind bubbled with thoughts. 

_She was in love with Zelda Spellman._ And thinking about it made her heart hurt. In the first two years that she worked with the redhead she confused Zelda's name with her sister Hilda. How did she really go from that to fall in love? 

Lying on the couch, she stared at the wall, searching in the soft yellow paint for an answer to her question. Looking down at the table, the dark-haired woman found an orange rosebud. 

The petals were still together and as if receiving a whisper in her mind, Mary had an idea. 

A week later the flower was radiant, open and shiny. Challenging herself, as if she didn't believe what she was doing, Mary cut her off, removed the thorns and rested her on the passenger seat of her car, towards the Orphanage. 

_“Please, break my heart! Please break my heart!”_ It was the mantra that the dark-haired woman recited softly, hoping that her words would be effective. 

Arriving at the library, she found herself alone and a relieved sigh escaped her lips for as long as she had been able to think. Unfortunately, the time was not much, since the redhead quickly appeared. 

"Good morning, Mary!" Zelda said, as she wrapped her left arm around the dark-haired woman's waist and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

"Hello, good morning, Zelda..." When the redhead walked away, Mary took a deep breath and caught her attention. "Look! I harvested it for you from my garden today!” 

The redhead's eyes turned to the hand of the blue-eyed dark-haired woman, who was holding an orange-red rose. 

In her third month working with Zelda, Mary remembered the first time she saw Hilda. She had a few pots, more precisely ten, all different from each other, to be donated to the orphanage. Zelda's dissatisfied snorts never escaped her mind as she watched her sister teach the children how to water the flowers. 

"I really don't understand why people waste time and vitality with plants." That's what Zelda said as she removed the plant that her sister had left on her desk and headed for the door. 

"Wait! What are you going to do?", Mary's voice sounded confused while questioning. 

"Get rid of it, of course!" 

"Bring it here, I'll take care of it!" 

And since that day, Mary Wardwell had two plants on her desk and Zelda Spellman none. 

Getting rid of the memory, Mary smiled nervously at the redhead in front of her and continued: 

"See, I had this dark red button and as your petals opened, your color became lighter... Anyway... I just ended up remembering you..." 

_Please break my heart! Please break my heart!_

However, her mantra was interrupted, with Zelda's arms hugging her. 

Her body went limp, but she hugged her back. Zelda's hug was gentle and warm, and when the bodies came free, Zelda's face was red and she had a gentle smile. 

"Thank you, Mary, it is beautiful!" 

Before she could respond, two taps on the door monopolized their attention. 

"Good morning! Aunt Mary, did the new Egyptian History book arrived?” 

Still confused by what had happened, Mary smiled nervously at Zelda and nodded affirming to the teenager at the door as she walked out towards the bookshelves. 

A month passed and the rose was no longer mentioned, although Zelda was closer to her. Sometimes telling the dark-haired woman not to bring or buy lunch, that she had cooked something. Sometimes putting a CD to play in the middle of work, leaning against the library door and pulling the blue-eyed lady up for a dance. A part of the youngest of the Wardwell twin's soul wondered why Zelda was not rude. All that she needed to be is a little stupid once. 

It has always been like this, since her teenage years. Mary fell in love with someone, that someone broke her heart, she picked up the pieces and moved on. It was much simpler than and less desperate than seeing the pity in the eyes of those she liked. 

And in Zelda's case, it is even worse, cause she would have to see that face every single day. 

But Wardwell tried to act like nothing was wrong. As if the green eyes did not take her breath away, as if the smiles were not more beautiful than any other creature. She really tried, especially in front of Leticia. 

But that day in question, when Leticia was supposed to read with Zelda, she did it wrong. 

The redhead was late on some notes in the library's agenda. It was kind of obvious that Zelda had a bigger job to Mary's after all children and teenagers read more literature books than pedagogical books, so whatever that she could help the redhead, she would. 

Sometimes she led all of the library's daily loans, and sometimes she organized Zelda's notes, like what she would do today. 

It was simple, just get the names of books borrowed in the month, the child who borrowed and the return date. After that, it was just to level them between “returned” and “not returned”. 

Their calligraphy was not even similar, but that was irrelevant. When Zelda finished reading with Leticia, the child kissed both women on the cheek and left the room. The redhead wanted to continue her work, but only five names were missing and Wardwell just insisted on finished. 

Already aware of how the redhead's brain works, Mary memorized that, when the notes are finished, a paper marker would be placed on the last written page. 

"Where's your red bookmark?" 

Without thinking, the redhead opened a folder and took out a dry orange flower, covered by a transparent plastic tape that had the simple purpose of keeping it whole even dry, and handed it to the dark-haired woman. 

"What flower is that?" 

"What do you mean?" As she spoke, Zelda's cheeks turned red. "It's the one you gave me." 

Before she could stop herself, her blue eyes were already filled with tears and overflowing. 

"Mary... what's wrong?" In just one second, the owner of the red hair was on her knees, messing her cream skirt, in front of Mary, with her eyebrows drawn together in concern and confusion. 

Two children reading next the bookshelves were alarmed by Mary's sob. They looked to Zelda for guidance and received a strict command. 

“Get out, close the door and wait outside! Don't call anyone! Then we will open the library for you!” 

Without any questions, the children run and did as they were ordered to. 

"Mary, what happened?" 

"Just stop... stop being nice and kind to me... just... please." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I'm talking about me... And how extremely, and I mean extraordinarily, I like you... And how against my will, I fell for you... so please..." 

But she couldn't finish her sentence, cause cold hands grabbed her face and pulled her forward. The moment Zelda's lips touched hers, slowly and carefully, as if it were a single museum piece, fragile enough to be broken in the smallest of collisions and precious enough to be taken care of at all costs, whatever Mary had to be said disappeared from her mind and only Zelda's cold hands and lips survived. 

At that moment, everything changed. 

The work was the same, the children who came to borrow the books were the same, the girl who came to read with them a few times a week and made them smile was the same. However, the color of the walls was more vibrant when Mary hugged Zelda in her back, the sun was brighter when Zelda smiled next to the window and, mainly, the evenings were more beautiful thanks to her new meaning. 

At least twice a week they go out together, on official dates. When asked, Lilith said it was an extravagance and that, knowing her sister, she believed they could get sick of the routine. A part of Mary feared that, but she was absolutely wrong. 

Mary just wanted to know more and more about Zelda. From her childhood pet, Vinegar Tom, until her favorite milkshake flavor, which was vanilla. 

She also found it funny how disinterested the redhead was when it came to legislation, having said at their first official meeting, that "I should have infringed a hundred of them in all my life". 

And this was all more than mutual, after all, the mere sound of Mary's voice made the redhead want to smile. For the first time in her life, gardening was incredible and her biggest reward was accompanying the dark-haired woman's happiness. 

They went out for four months together and everything was extremely comfortable. Leticia was slow to understand how the relationship of the librarians had evolved because, for her, it was always that way and the only thing that was changed is that they hugged each other more. 

It had been three years since Leticia was at Saint Angela's Orphanage, always smiling and with glasses on her face. The enchanted princesses' books in the library had already been finalized so now they have moved on to stories of sorcerers and witches. Zelda was reading, but with a sign from Mary, the redhead noticed that Leticia was not paying attention. 

Taking advantage that the library was empty, Mary sat in front of the girl and ask her why. 

"Is that... Thadeu was adopted..." 

"And do you miss your friend, baby?" Zelda's voice was calm and welcoming. 

"Yes, but that's not quite what it is... I'm very happy that he now has a mother, but... Do you think I will never have a mother?" And as if the sentence had opened a scar, the girl started to cry. 

Mary and Zelda's minds were lost, their eyes crossed looking for the correct answer to that question, but they knew that influencing children's expectations was one of the things prohibited among employees, thanks to the psychological mark that breaking it caused in the mind the same. 

So they just hugged Leticia, as if their hug could heal everything inside the girl until the bell rang and she had to go back to class. 

That night Zelda didn't sleep, she took off her makeup and after a shower put on a nightgown just to drink a quarter of the oldest bottle of whiskey she had at home, hoping to forget Leticia's completely hopeless tone that afternoon. 

Around midnight, her doorbell rang frantically. Imagining that the unwanted company would leave, she ignored it. But, the doorbell got even louder, forcing the redhead to put her printed robe over the dark blue nightgown and go down the stairs. 

Dragging the window curtain next to the door, intending not to open the door to a stranger, she found Mary, without makeup, with her glasses, her hair with messy curls, a sandal and a dark green robe over her a black nightgown. 

"Mary, what are you doing here?" 

"I'm going to propose something insane, please do not laugh at me." And the redhead just pulled Mary inside and locked the door immediately. 

"I dreamed about you, we were watching Leticia in some bigger performance. There were cameras and lights on the stage, but even so, everything was as it always was, until she came down from the stage and hugged us, calling us mothers..." 

"What are you..." 

"Just let me finish... I'm not saying that this," she stopped and pointed to them both, making it explicit that she didn't know what to call their relationship, "it's not an insane mistake... Or that I want to live together with you until our hearts stop beating... I’m in love with you but what I mean is that Leticia is and means much more than us and if or when 'me and you' do not survive, Leticia will survive and I know I could never regret trying to love that child with all my heart, every single day... by your side... I mean, know I can do this alone, but ... I know as well that it would be much more satisfying to be done with you." 

For the first time, Zelda was truly speechless and after a few minutes of silence, the expectant blue-eyed lady spoke again with a nervous smile in her face. 

"So... what's your answer Spellman?" 

But not a word was said, tears were running down Zelda's face and her response was kiss Mary. She kissed her with all the conviction that she had, with all the breathing that she had, with all the passion that she had. She used everything on Mary and that's how everything they already had got even bigger. 

In Zelda's room, they looked at each other in the eye for longer than necessary. They touched, scratched and kissed places not seen in the library. Zelda held Mary as her haven, afraid that at some point, the woman below her, now with pupils so wide that it was almost impossible to find the beautiful blue in her eyes, was going to disappear. 

But in the next day, the redhead woke up naked, with a weight on her left shoulder and black hair covering her arm. There she found, just looking at the sleeping woman in her arms, and then at the glasses of both of them resting next to the bed, that she wanted anything and everything available to live with Mary Wardwell. 

If they asked Zelda, the adoption request would start in that same morning, after all, she believed that there was no motivation to wait, however, Mary convinced her that it was better to do it at the beginning of next week, consequently having time to inform families and explore answers to eventual questions beyond getting used to the idea. 

"Your 'yes' was enough for now!" 

In less than three hours of research about adoption, Zelda found a phrase that terrified her. With shaking hands, she told Mary that she was going to smoke and, in the Orphanage parking lot, called Hilda. 

"You can read it again dear, I don't think I heard you right." 

_"For a boy or girl to be adopted by a couple, there must be a stable civil union between them."_

"Oh..." The younger Spellmans' voice rang out, seeking divine guidance for her sister's dilemma. 

"What if she doesn't accept?" 

“What do you mean, Zelda Spellman? Do you want to marry her? ” 

"But, Leticia...." 

"Answer the question, Zelda!" 

"Maybe..." The redhead's whisper was embarrassed but received with a high-pitched scream in her left ear. 

"OH MY GOD, EDWARD WILL BE SO HAPPY, ZELDS!" 

"Hey! Listen! I called you because she... she may not accept it! And there is no such thing as a one-person-marriage, Hilda!” 

"Why wouldn't she accept it?" Even though she asked the question, Hilda kept talking. “Cook a nice dinner, buy an engagement ring… Or... Yes, buy the definitive wedding rings and propose! She loves you and will say yes!” 

"Alright, I think..." 

"Call Edward, Diana's rings are so beautiful and I'm sure he would love to help you with that!" 

"Ok... Thanks Hildy!" 

“That's ok! And I love you, sis!" 

"I love you too." 

Two days later, Zelda went out with Edward to buy the pair, giving Mary Wardwell the excuse that she needed to buy another pack of cigarettes. They went to a simple jewelry store and chose two fine rose rings. The smile on Edward's face screamed "I told you so", however, the redhead was too anxious to care. 

When her investment was being finalized, she noticed a simple rhodium-plated crystal ring. The saleswoman said that the stone in evidence was a Swarovski, however, Zelda did not listen, her mind was too busy planning exactly how her proposal would work. 

Hilda agreed that she would cook a meal at Zelda's house that night, reducing the redhead's job. Eventually, she called Lilith for advice on the youngest of the two, receiving a short "You need her hand, not mine... Ask and be surprised!" in addition to a promise of help to give Zelda time, if she wanted to make the request that day, something that the redhead readily accepted. 

When she returned to the library, Zelda asked if Mary would like to have dinner with her and eventually sleep there, since the path between their home was long enough that it wouldn't be beneficial for one of them to travel alone to her own residence. 

“Sure, I'm just going after you, okay? Lilith asked me to buy these wedding and decorations magazines, and I really want to have everything with me in case she shows up.” 

“Alright, darling! But do you think you can be home at... seven?”

"Yep! I'll be on time!” And sharing a smile, they exchanged a kiss before two students came to ask Mary for help in modern history. 

Ten minutes to seven o'clock, Mary parked her car in front of Zelda's residence. After picking up the purse that contained a change of nightclothes and another one for work the next day in the passenger seat, she got out, locked the car and, as usual, headed towards the entrance. 

Believing that Zelda had noticed her arrival, thanks to the car's motor, the dark-haired woman just inter in the house and, to her surprise, everything was in the dark, but a noise of cutlery sounded from the kitchen, proving that she was not alone. 

"Honey? Why are you in the dark?" 

"I'm not... just come here..." 

Smiling, the blue-eyed lady locked the door and left her purse on the floor beside the stairs before heading towards the kitchen. 

Mary found Zelda surrounded by waving candles, justifying the dark house. She was magnificent, with her hair flowing in beautiful waves and wearing a well-known red suede dress with a lace sleeve. 

Two years earlier, on the redhead's birthday, Mary had given her a gift card, justifying herself that it sounded too personal to buy a gift for her. The horror on Zelda's face was worthy of a mexican-telenovela. 

“But we are dating and I believe that you know something about what I like. Right?” 

"Maybe I passed by one store and found something that reminds me of you, however..." 

From that nothing was heard. Upon discovering this, on the same day, after their work, Zelda, ignoring any protest, forced Mary to go with her to the store - using as her main trick, hide the dark-haired woman's house and car keys in her purse - to show her the dress. 

Once there, she took firm steps through the store with Mary, who was already red in her cheeks, looking for a salesgirl. 

"Excuse me..." The dark-haired woman, while was being watched by the redhead, spoke towards the young woman with blond hair in the uniform of that garment, calling her attention. "Good afternoon, do you know if the red suede dress that was here this week it’s sold out?" 

“Oh no, we still have it! Could you give me your size? So I can take you to the dressing room in the correct proportions. ” 

"Actually, the dress is for her!" And Mary's gentle hands pulled Zelda around the waist, who smiled at the contact. 

Minutes later Zelda was in the dressing room, with the saleswoman saying how beautiful she was as she slid the zipper on her back, closing it. 

The dress was long, stopped in the middle of her calves and molded itself to her body. Long sleeves were not something she appreciated in strong colors, but this one was all lace, an unexpected transparency coming from Mary Wardwell, but she just couldn't find a single flaw in the dress. 

She felt beautiful, absolutely and completely stunning, and thinking that Mary had thought of her while she saw that beautiful red dress made her heart flutter. So she definitely took the dress, and it became Mary's favorite on her body. 

"You are so beautiful! If I knew I would have dressed for the occasion!” The dark-haired woman caught the redhead's attention between the memories, who kissed her before answering. 

“Nonsense! Just sit down and let's enjoy the meal.” 

The food was wonderful, the wine was sweet and for the first time, Mary saw Zelda drinking alcohol nervously. As if she were putting together the pieces of a puzzle, the owner of the blue eyes observed everything around her and laughed. 

"Why are you laughing?" 

"And now I answer you with another question: Is this an engagement proposal?" 

"Who told you?" The quick response came along with how colorless Zelda's face looked. 

Mary said that the redhead was made of the purest alabaster instead of human flesh, and at that moment, she believed she was correct. 

"Well... nobody... it's just... _For a boy or girl to be adopted by a couple, there must be a stable civil union between them_ , and I believed that your affirmative answer a few days ago already included that... ” 

"Oh my God!" The redhead lowered her head and buried it in the middle of her hands, extremely embarrassed and silently torturing herself for her disinterest in everything that referred to laws. 

"Hey... look at me! Can you answer another question? ” 

Looking up at the blue eyes in front of her, the redhead nodded affirmatively. 

"When I said I was falling for you, why did you kiss me?" As soon as she asked the question, her nose scrunching up to put her glasses in place, reminding the redhead of the answer she needed. 

"Because you scrunch your nose when your glasses slip..." At that moment the blue eyes widened, full of bewilderment, and instigated why Zelda continued. "And that was the first thing in you that I loved." 

Tears now streamed down her face, but the smile did not leave her mouth until she cleared her throat and said: 

"Did you bought an engagement ring?" 

"I even bought the definitive wedding rings, darling..." 

“Oh my God, let me see it!"

Even reluctantly, Zelda took the jewelry out of her pocket and showed it to the dark-haired woman, who kept smiling, even in tears. 

"See, my idea was to sign a document on Monday, in our superior's office, with Lisa and, perhaps, our brothers as witnesses... However," with a dramatic pause, the dark-haired woman stood up, headed toward Zelda and sat on her lap, taking the engagement ring bought by Zelda, and putting it on the redhead's finger before finishing, "your idea is much better!" 

And so Mary kissed her, fast enough to look into the redhead's eyes and see that she was as happy as herself. 

The wedding was simple. Just a few families and a few friends. Both women in long white modest dresses and simple makeup, surrounded by flowers and arrangements, cause nothing more was needed. 

Leticia was there, of course. Confused that she was the only child who left the orphanage, but happy to participate in a wedding of “two princesses with glasses”. Lisa was the one who offered a toast, in her words, "the best evolution from enemies to lovers that she has ever seen". 

In the next day, everyone went to lunch at Spellmans' house, which was now the Wardwell-Spellman's home, showered with good food, good desserts, alcohol and Lilith's jokes, saying it was the "family shame" cause she was the first sibling to date, the first to get engaged, the first to set the date, and yet Mary got married before her, but she has never been happier for being the "family shame". 

Mary and Zelda did not take their honeymoon days off, deciding that they had already waited long enough to start Leticia's adoption, and just like that, they did. They presented all the documents and everything was accepted, only one thing was missing. 

Leticia did not know yet, and both women feared that she would reject them. But that day had come, Leticia was sitting in the library and the two women entered it, along with Lisa, who volunteered as a witness, and a government official. 

“Hi, Aunt Mary! Hi, Aunt Z!” 

"Hi, baby, we wanted to talk to you...", Zelda's voice came. 

"Did I did something wrong?" Her brown eyes widened with the possibility, but before anything else left the girl's mouth, Mary interrupted her. 

"No dear, you have done nothing wrong!" At that moment, the dark-haired woman sought support in the redhead's icy hand beside her, and finding it she squeezed before continuing. "What do you think about this photo?" 

So, Zelda's free hand handed a paper to Leticia. In it was an old photo of the daughter of Rukidi III, dressed in purple and yellow. 

"She is very beautiful, just like me." 

The girl's response instigated a restrained smile from everyone in the room. 

“Well, you are right! Do you know her name?" Receiving a negative nod, Zelda continued. "It's written on the back!" 

Turning the photo to its back, Leticia read, calmly and slowly: 

“ _Elizabeth Bagaaya, princess of the Kingdom of Torus._ Is she a real princess?” 

When Mary gave a positive nod, Leticia touched the photo as if it were the greatest treasure she had found in her life. 

"Yes baby, she is!" Zelda said, but without leaving any room for any questions from the girl, she continued. "We want to ask you a very important question so you have to pay attention, okay?" With another nod, Zelda continued. "Princess Elizabeth has 'another name', doesn't she?" 

"Yes..." The girl's face lost its brightness as if remembering herself, but she continued with her eyes fixed on the women in front of her. 

"Aunt Z and I think a lot and..." as if taking off a bandage, Mary said quickly, but loud and clear. "We want you to have our last names!" 

The women expected some response, whether positive or negative, but what they received was, Leticia's face crinkling in confusion. 

"What?" 

"Like your mothers..." 

At that moment, the brown eyes relaxed and her eyes overflowed. 

“Leticia, listen, despite whether you decide, you are already our princess! All right?" 

“Yes, but... I want it! I want it so much!” 

And through the tears, they hugged themselves. The three glasses were fogged up and clashed as they exchanged kisses on the cheeks, but none of that mattered. The only thing that meant in the minds of the three was the name "Leticia Wardwell-Spellman". 

After a few minutes, the three separated, removing the glasses from their faces to clean them. Zelda and Mary did this as quickly as possible and watched Leticia do it. When the eyepieces became transparent and invisible again, Zelda interrupted: 

"You know what to do, don't you, Leticia Wardwell-Spellman?" 

"Don't worry moms," enchanted with the new word on her lips, Leticia smiled and took a deep breath before continuing. "Our glasses stay on!" 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Comments of all kinds are extremely welcome and encouraged.
> 
> As this fanfic was originally posted in Portuguese, I have some requests for sequels as their first dance, a fantasy-smut.  
> But if you want something like their first night as married, Lilith's wedding, like anything at all the only thing I need is public and encouragement. These requests can be made here in the comments, on my twitter, on my curious cat... literally anywhere you find me.
> 
> Again, thank you for taking the time to read my work.
> 
> xoxo,  
> Val
> 
> All social media: @HausOfVal


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